Guernica
by pokeitlikejello
Summary: Mulder, Scully, and Skinner investigate into an elevator that has caused the disappearance of eight people, one of them being an FBI agent. When Mulder and Scully get brought into this world, it's Scully who comes back a bit strange.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The X-Files nor the characters. I make no money off of this. It's just for my own fun.**  
Author's Note: **This fic takes place later in the series, about seasons six/seven, but under no given timeline. It does follow after Fight the Future. That's the only bit of spoilers.

* * *

"Just the Scully I was looking for," Mulder said as she entered into the office. "We gotta go."

"Go where?" Scully asked as she followed him from his office.

"We're on a case with Skinner," Mulder explained and turned the corner, heading for the elevator. "We're going to Rhode Island."

Scully planted her hands on her hips. "What's in Rode Island that's big enough to get Skinner involved?"

"An elevator," Mulder answered as he stepped into the one that would take them up.

Frowning, Scully followed him into the elevator, confused and suspicious. Mulder pressed the button and looked over at Scully.

"A man steps into the elevator and pushes the button," Mulder continued on. "He's going to the fifth floor. The elevator opens on the fifth floor, but the man is gone. It's happened to six women and two men. Same elevator, heading to the same floor. And it only happens when the person is alone."

The doors opened and Mulder stepped out, Scully following him. Skinner approached them.

"We've got a crew set up and waiting for us," Skinner told them both. "When we get there, we start."

Skinner headed down the hallway, away from them. Mulder turned back to the elevator and pressed the down button.

"Guess we're leaving now," Mulder commented, eyebrows raised.

"Why _is_ Skinner involved, Mulder?" Scully asked, knowing she was missing something.

The elevator doors slid open.

"One of the disappeared is an FBI agent named Joseph White."

Mulder entered into the elevator and held the door open for Scully. She stepped in and Mulder let the doors close. He pressed the button for the ground floor.

* * *

Mulder and Scully followed Skinner down the hallway on the fifth floor of the apartment building. A tall African American man with a strong build approached them.

"Assistant Director Skinner."

The man held out his hand and Skinner enclasped it within his own. They shook hands briefly before Skinner took a step back, showing off Mulder and Scully.

"This is Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully," Skinner introduced them.

"I'm Samuel Walt." The man shook hands with Mulder first, then Scully. "I'm running this operation. If you'd follow me."

Walt turned and led the three down the hallway. They turned the corner and came upon the elevator. Two men and a woman were sitting in front of monitors. Each had a headset on as they fiddled with buttons on the machines they were watching.

"Bridges, Clark, and Traber," Walt introduced his team, each giving him their attention. "Mulder, Scully, Skinner."

"What have we got here?" Skinner asked.

The younger, thinner man, Bridges, with brown hair and wire rimmed glasses looked to Skinner. He cleared his throat.

"We've installed a camera into the elevator," Bridges told him. "We were hoping it would show us what's going on inside the elevator."

"It's not going to work without someone in there," Clark, dressed casually with his hat on backwards, cut in. "I told you that. This is getting us nowhere."

"Then, let's put someone in there," Traber, the female with her blonde hair tied up, said.

"That's what I'm talking about," Mulder agreed with a nod.

Skinner shot him a look. "We can't put anyone in there and risk them disappearing."

"But, if we put someone in there, the camera will tell us what happened," Scully replied.

"Exactly." Traber gave Scully a tight smile, which Scully returned.

"We aren't putting anyone in there until we know what's going on," Walt spoke up. "We have to up our game, figure out a way we can find out how this is happening."

"You could put a man in there," Mulder said. "I'll go."

Scully turned to her partner. "Mulder."

She shook her head slightly at him, but Mulder only looked away from her.

"If whatever happened to those others happens to me, at least you'll know how it happened," Mulder justified his reason for volunteering. "Then, you can figure out how to fix it."

"That is a good idea," Clark agreed. "One man makes it happen. That man could be Mulder here."

"I'm not putting my agent in there," Skinner replied.

"I volunteer, Sir," Mulder told his superior. "I think this is our best shot to get one of our own and all of those others back."

Skinner stared at Mulder for a moment, debating, before turning to Walt. "Your call."

"Get him a headset."

* * *

Scully walked alongside of Mulder as they headed for the staircase. She was silent, thinking. Mulder was wondering what he was about to encounter.

"I don't know why you're doing this."

"To find the truth, Scully," Mulder said.

"But, at the cost of losing you, Mulder?" she asked.

"I'm surprised you're worried," Mulder replied. "Where's your criticism, Scully? Where are all the little holes you're poking into this theory?"

"I don't know what to think, Mulder," she told him. "The facts seem pretty clear cut. And Skinner thinks this is the real thing. _Skinner_."

"Yeah," Mulder agreed, seeing where she was coming from.

They stopped at the door to the stairwell. Mulder turned to her and gave her a smile.

"This is my stop."

"I'll see you when you reach the fifth floor."

"_If_," he corrected.

She nodded. "If."

"Lemme know if the camera really does add ten pounds," he joked.

Mulder went through the door to the staircase and began down the stairs. Scully waited until the door was shut before heading back to the team at the monitors. Skinner was standing with his back against the wall, arms folded over his chest. He glanced at her as she approached.

"He went," Skinner said.

"He went," Scully affirmed.

After a minute, the elevator doors opened on the monitor. Mulder entered and looked up at the camera. He turned back to the panel and hit the button for the fifth floor.

The elevator doors slid closed as Scully drew in a deep breath. Mulder shifted his weight and glanced at the camera again as the elevator began to rise.

"How are you doing in there, Agent Mulder?" Bridges asked into his headset. He looked over to Skinner and Scully. "He said he's just dandy."

"Ask him if he notices anything strange," Walt told Bridges.

Before he could get the question out, the camera began to fizzle. Scully stepped closer to the monitors, her mouth falling open. The camera began to shake.

"Agent Mulder, can you hear me?" Bridges asked. "Can you hear me, Agent Mulder?"

Mulder glanced toward the camera as the elevator suddenly became very bright. The camera fizzled into darkness.

"Talk to him," Walt commanded. "Get him to answer you."

"Agent Mulder," Bridges earnestly spoke into his headset. "Agent Mulder, if you can hear me, please let me know what is going on."

The light at the top of the elevator lit up. Everyone looked expectantly at the doors as they slid open. The elevator was empty. Scully walked towards it.

"Mulder." She shook her head and her voice hardened. "No."

Scully took off down the hallway and turned the corner. Skinner looked at the team before going after her.

"Where are you going?" He called out to her as she headed for the staircase. "Agent Scully!"

She pushed hard against the door to the stairwell and went down the flights of stairs as fast as her feet would take her. Scully could hear Skinner following after her, telling her to stop.

When she reached the ground floor, she ran to the elevator and ducked under the police tape. She ignored the 'do not use' sign on the door and pushed the up button. She could hear the elevator gliding down towards her. The stairwell door burst open and Skinner hurried toward her, slightly winded.

"Do not go in that elevator," he warned her. The elevator doors opened as Skinner gained ground. "That is an order, Agent Scully."

Scully stepped into the elevator. "I'm going after Mulder."

She pressed the button for the fifth floor and the doors slid closed before Skinner could stop her. The elevator started to rise as her breath hitched in her throat.

At the third floor, a buzzing sound started before growing increasingly louder. A flash of blue filled the elevator, the metals walls appearing as if they had electricity coursing through them.

Scully shielded her eyes with her hand as she was blinded by the light. The elevator shifted, sending her falling against the back of the elevator. However, she didn't hit metal, but continued to fall until she landed on hard packed dirt.

Turning onto her side, Scully began to cough, the wind having been knocked out of her. She drew in a few deeps breaths before forcing herself to sit up. Her mouth fell open as she looked at her surroundings, a near replica of Salvador Dalí's "Persistence of Memory."

Scully clambered to her feet as she continued to look around in amazement. She felt miniscule to everything around her. The wall on her left reached up into the sky, beyond what she could see. She backed away from it and saw the face of a melting clock.

Directly in front of her was a beige object that stretched for longer than she could make out. In the distance, she could hear the sound of water gently lobbing against rock. Scully walked towards the beige object, wondering where Mulder was and if she could find him.

"Scully?"

She turned to see Mulder approaching her. She ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him, thankful she wasn't in this alone. Mulder tightened his grip on her before releasing her. Scully observed him.

His hair was tussled and he was missing his headset.

"Looks like we're in Dalí's head, huh?" Mulder smiled at her.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But, how the hell did we get here through an elevator?"

Mulder shrugged. "Don't know the answer to that one. Yet."

"Hey," a voice called out to them.

They both turned in the direction of the sound of the voice. A man they recognized as Agent Joseph White was standing next to the beige object. Mulder and Scully headed toward him.

"Who are you?" White asked them.

"Agents Mulder and Scully," Mulder introduced them. "We're with the FBI."

"We came to find you and the others," Scully added.

"Looks like you've done that," White said. "Now, how're you getting us out of here?"

"The others are with you?" Mulder ignored his question.

"Come on."

White led them toward a flap in the beige object. Scully examined it, deciding that the beige was a possible fabric, a solid mass underneath it. It was either soft rock or hard wood. She couldn't be sure.

Mulder looked in the flap to see a man and six women crouched down together. They were staring at the agents.

"Why are you all crammed in here?" Mulder asked.

"Because it's going to change," the woman closest to the flap spoke. "You don't want to be out there when it does."

White climbed into the small nook, joining the others. Mulder leaned in, observing the area. Scully stood behind him, watching.

Mulder lifted his eyebrows. "Got any room for us?"

"No," the other man answered.

"That's not fair, J.D.," a woman in the back replied. "It's not their fault they're here."

"Actually, I volunteered to get into the elevator and come here," Mulder told them.

"Then, you can stay out there, buddy!" J.D. retorted.

"He came here so we could save all of you," Scully defended Mulder, her voice crisp and solid.

The world began to shake. A few women cried out and the one closest to the door covered her ears. Scully grabbed onto Mulder's arm, balancing herself as she almost fell over.

"It's happening!" J.D. shouted. "It's happening!"

Mulder and Scully turned toward their surroundings as the colors melted away, leaving only a blinding snow white. They shielded their eyes as grey began to fill in. Lots of grey in varying shades. There were sharp angles, smooth lines, objects crossing over objects, figures being contorted. Scully's mouth fell open.

"Guernica," she whispered.

"Oh, shit," Mulder replied as their ears filled with screeching metal and screams.

Figures began to contort as objects came flying towards them. They were sharp objects, lines, jagged pieces of metal, all grey, and dark, and sad. There was no sign of the others. They had managed to stay inside Dalí's work.

"Scully, run!"

Mulder grabbed her hand and held it tightly as he pulled her towards any safe haven he might find. Angry shards began to reign down on them from the light fixture hanging above.

"Mulder!"

Scully yanked him hard, causing him to topple over on her as they both fell to the ground, a particularly large shard just missing Mulder by a mere foot. As quickly as they were down, they were back up again and running, glancing up every few seconds for incoming shards.

"What's happening?" Scully yelled to Mulder over the screams.

"We're in Hell, Scully," he shouted to her as he yanked her around a corner. He glanced back at her. "We're in Hell."

* * *

After what seemed like hours, Mulder and Scully were back to the "Persistence of Memory." The surroundings of grey had faded back into the calm. There was no more need to run or dodge. No need to hide or fight. This was peaceful. They were back in peaceful. For now.

Mulder stormed toward the beige object as Scully followed him. They were both completely exhausted, but they couldn't rest yet. He stopped in front of the flap and pulled it back enough to see inside.

"Thanks for the warning," Mulder angrily yelled at them. "We really appreciate being forced to go through that shit when we came here to save you."

"You had to know," White said calmly, not phased by Mulder's anger. "We all went through it."

"I don't see any saving," J.D. piped up.

"And you're not going to," Mulder replied. "We found a way out. We should let you stay here and figure it out on your own."

"You found a way out?" One of the women spoke up.

"Yes," Scully answered. "There's an elevator in Guernica. We stumbled upon it."

"And yet we remained in Guernica, figuring it would bring us back here eventually," Mulder added. "In order to get all of you out of here."

White climbed from the hideout and stood erect, stretching his back.

"You're serious?" he asked.

"Yes." Scully nodded. "We just have to wait for the surroundings to change."

"What if this elevator takes us somewhere worse than this?" the woman nearest the flap said.

Scully shrugged. "It's a risk we'll have to take."

"And you're sure you can find your way back there?" J.D. called out.

Mulder stared at him. "Yes."

"Then, get some rest," White told Mulder and Scully. "You've got some time before it'll happen again. We'll wake you when it starts."

A few of the women climbed out from their hiding spot. J.D. followed next and then the remaining women stepped out.

"Take the hideout to rest," White instructed them. "It's cozy. We're going to get some air and stretch our legs."

White walked off with three of the women following behind him. Mulder held back the flap for Scully to enter. She crawled into the space and Mulder went in after her, the flap covering the opening.

Scully settled down on her side, using her arm as a pillow, and closed her eyes. Mulder turned onto his side, facing her. He smirked.

"That looks comfortable," he said.

"Shut up, Mulder," she replied, devoid of energy. She opened her eyes and looked to him. "You think we could do this?"

"We've gotta try, Scully," Mulder told her.

She nodded, but thinking about going back to that place made her feel sick. It scared her physically, mentally, and emotionally. Her body tensed as she began to worry about going there and she realized she wasn't going to fall back to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Mulder asked.

"I can't do it," she whispered, shaking her head, her eyes fixated on the second button on Mulder's shirt.

"Scully..."

Mulder reached out a hand and gently touched her shoulder. She brought her eyes to meet his.

"I don't want to go back there," she confided.

He nodded slightly and drew her into him. He didn't particularly want to go back either, but he knew they had to if they wanted a chance at escaping from this world. Scully felt tears drip from her eyes and Mulder let his hand slide down to her back.

"We'll do it together," Mulder assured her. "We go in together and go out together. You can do it, Scully, and I'll be there beside you."


	2. Chapter 2

They awoke to the sound of shouting. Mulder sat up quickly, almost banging his head on the ceiling of the hideout. Scully stirred awake beside him and sat up as well. Voices were calling out to them from outside the hideout as the walls around them shook.

Scrambling, Mulder headed from the hideout, Scully following him out. They were blinded by white as Mulder pulled Scully to her feet. Grey filled in around them just as before. The screaming and screeching metal greeted them.

Mulder looked around at the group, counting heads and making sure they were all there. There were ten, including himself and Scully. Once Mulder knew everyone was there, he gave a wave of his hand.

"We have to move fast," he shouted. "Follow me and keep up."

With Scully at his side, Mulder ran toward the place where he knew the man with the broken sword lay. He glanced back from time to time, making sure they were still altogether. White was in the back, making sure the group stayed together.

The shards began to fall from the light fixture, the game becoming dangerous. The group followed Mulder as they dodged the metal pieces. A woman cried out as she fell to the ground. Mulder glanced back to see White helping her up and keeping her moving.

Mulder looked to Scully, checking on her. Her face was set in determination as she kept up. Her focus was forward for a few seconds before she would glance up, checking for falling shards. Mulder placed his attention forward as he continued to lead. They were almost there.

After moving around a smooth mass of light grey, Mulder stopped and pointed. Scully stood at his side as the rest of the group made their way around the smooth mass. Up ahead was the jagged piece of sword and beyond that was two shiny elevator doors, a small white button beside them.

J.D. took off running for the elevator first, the women following after him. White gave a pat to Mulder's shoulder before heading toward the elevator. Mulder looked to Scully and they both began running, now following them and being completely responsible in making sure everyone got on the elevator.

As they were closing in on the elevator, J.D. reached it and pressed the button. Mulder picked up his pace. They were almost there, almost to the very thing that could get them out of there. He came to a sudden halt as he heard Scully call out his name.

Turning quickly, Mulder saw a metallic object dragging Scully backwards. Three sharp claws dug into Scully on each side of her abdomen. Mulder took off after her, his adrenaline increasing and making his run even faster.

Scully struggled against the object keeping her here. Mulder reached for his gun and pulled it out. He could make out the long metal base that the claws were connected to. When it bucked up, lifting Scully from the ground, Mulder aimed and fired, putting a piercing hole through the metal as the bullet tore through it.

The metal broke, dropping Scully completely as the claws fell to pieces around her. A hole was in the background, letting a sharp white light spill in.

Mulder returned his gun to his holster as he ran to Scully. She stood to her feet as he took hold of her. They began for the elevator again, dodging raining sharp shards. The elevator doors were open up ahead, the group inside, staring out at them.

"Wait!" Mulder yelled to them. "Hold the doors!"

The doors began to slide closed and Mulder and Scully picked up their speed, closing the gap between themselves and the elevator.

"Wait!" Scully called out as well.

J.D. pushed his way to the front of the elevator and stepped between the closing doors, preventing them from closing completely. The doors bounced against him and slid back open, giving Mulder and Scully enough time to slide into the elevators.

"Thank you," Scully told him breathlessly.

The doors closed and the elevator started to ascend.

"What the hell was that thing?" White asked, looking to Mulder and Scully.

Scully shook her head. "I don't know and I don't care to find out."

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. In front of them was the fifth floor hallway of the apartment building. They stumbled out of the elevator as Skinner, Walt, and his team stared at them in disbelief.

"Mulder, Scully." Skinner approached them. "How did you..."

Skinner trailed off, unsure about what to ask. They had been working for forty eight hours straight trying to find them and bring them back, but they turned up with nothing.

"We got on the elevator, Skinner," Mulder told him.

"What happened?" Walt demanded to know.

"We were in paintings," one of the women answered. "Two paintings. It was like a dream. And a nightmare."

"You were in paintings." Clark stared at them.

"Or it was hallucinations," Scully added.

Mulder turned to his partner and frowned at her. "What?"

"The elevator had electrical charges going through it," Scully explained. "That kind of charge could have affects on the brain. It could have easily produced hallucinations."

"That doesn't explain how we all went missing, Scully," Mulder replied through gritted teeth, completely shocked that she wasn't believing this.

"No," she agreed. "But, we're all back. No one's hurt and no one's dead. Hallucinations."

"Yeah." J.D. nodded. "That's what it was. Pretty crazy stuff."

Walt exchanged looks with Skinner before addressing his team. "The police tape stays up until we get to the bottom of this. For now, get some rest. We'll start looking into this in the morning." He turned to the group. "As for the rest of you, I believe some family and friends may want to hear from you. However, the press will also want to hear from you, too. I advise you to get as much rest as you can, maybe even head from the area for a few weeks."

The group began to disperse, heading for their rooms on the fifth floor. White remained standing near the elevator. Walt watched them for a moment before speaking again.

"We'll be needing statements about what happened. Officers will stop by later and speak with you." He turned to Bridges. "Call the police station and get a crew together." Walt approached White and offered him his hand. "Glad to see you back, White."

White shook his hand. "Good to be back. I'm gonna call my mom and then I'll talk to you."

Walt gave a nod and White headed for his apartment. Skinner turned to his agents.

"You look like hell," he said. "Get to the motel and get cleaned up. I want a report in a few hours. This needs to be straightened out."

"Yes, sir." Scully gave a nod.

Mulder turned and began for the stairwell, Scully walking alongside of him. He glanced over at her a few times before finally speaking.

"I can't believe you're saying this is hallucinations, Scully."

"Well, what do you think it is, Mulder?" she shot back.

"Some way into another world _sparked_ by electrical currents," he answered.

"You think what you want and I'll think what I want, Mulder," Scully told him. "You'll just be wrong, that's all."

Scully opened the door to the stairwell and headed down the stairs, leaving Mulder behind. He followed after her and searched his pockets for the car keys. He smirked when his fingers touched the metal.

"I don't know why you're in such a hurry," Mulder called down to her. "I'm the one with the car keys."

* * *

Scully took off her suit jacket. She was more than exhausted, not to mention incredibly unsure and confused. Of course, her electrically stimulated hallucinations seemed far fetched, but what Mulder was proposing was even further out there.

She set her jacket on the chair in her motel room and began unbuttoning her shirt. She dropped the shirt to the chair and then gasped. On each side of her abdomen were three circular scabs. Scully picked up her shirt and examined it, seeing the holes that matched the size of her scabs.

After dropping her shirt back to the chair, Scully hurried over to the mirror on the wall. She turned her back to it and glanced over her shoulder. There were three more circular scabs on each side of her back.

Scully frowned and put her shirt back on, only buttoning two of the buttons. She left her motel room and walked down to Mulder's. She knocked on his door.

The door opened and Mulder stood there in his undershirt and boxers, a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Hey, Scully."

She forced her way inside and Mulder closed the door behind her. He headed for the bathroom.

"Just give me a minute," he told her.

Mulder disappeared inside and spit into the sink. He rinsed his mouth and toothbrush before walking back into the room. He stopped when he saw Scully standing there with her shirt off.

"What are—"

"Look at these." She approached him. "Look. When that metal thing grabbed me..."

Scully trailed off as Mulder lightly touched the scabbed circles on her skin. She turned for him, letting him see that there were three perfect circles on each side of her back, too. She faced him.

"This proves it happened," Mulder said excitedly. "We really did go there, Scully."

"Well, not necessarily," she replied. "The very strong electrical current that gave us the hallucinations may have also caused my mind to produce these sores. It's not unheard of that the mind can produce physical ailments when there's nothing wrong with a person."

"Or the very strong electrical current took us to another world where that metallic thing grabbed you and tried to keep you there," Mulder corrected, staring down at her.

She shook her head. "I don't believe that, Mulder."

"How can you not believe when you have physical proof, Scully?" he asked.

"Because there could be other explanations," she told him.

Scully drew in a breath as she suddenly felt lightheaded. A soft blush began to crawl up her neck and to her cheeks. Mulder frowned slightly.

"Are you okay?" He placed a hand on her arm.

"Yeah, Mulder." She pushed him away. "I'm... fine."

"Here. Sit."

Mulder helped Scully to his bed and sat her down. He sat beside her, watching her closely.

"Do you need a drink?" he offered.

"No," Scully answered. "No, I..."

Scully leaned into him and kissed him. Mulder froze in surprise for a moment before her pushed her back.

"Scully, what are you doing?"

"Come on, Mulder," she coaxed, suddenly seductive.

She kissed him again before pulling off his muscle shirt and tossing it aside. Mulder grabbed her arms at her wrists and held them tightly. He locked eyes with her.

"Scully—"

She cocked an eyebrow, smirking. "You want a little foreplay, Mulder?"

"What?"

Scully turned her wrists and quickly pulled out of his grasp. She shoved him down on the bed and straddled him, her hands running down his bare chest. Mulder stared her.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," she responded briskly.

She pinned his arms down as she bent over him. She kissed him before moving her lips to the base of his neck. Her tongue ran up his flesh to the bottom of his ear. She tugged on his earlobe with her teeth.

Mulder struggled against her, not quite sure as to what was going on. He was surprised that he was having trouble in trying to get her off of him. But, as he thought about it, he knew Scully could be intensely stubborn if she wanted to be.

Scully sat up and moved down him. She released him as her hands went to the top of his boxer shorts. Mulder took that opportunity to take hold of her and push her over on the bed. He climbed on top of her and pinned her arms down above her head.

"Oh, a little rough, Mulder?" she asked.

The door opened and both agents looked to the doorway. Skinner stood there, mouth slightly open as he stared at them. Mulder instantly climbed off of Scully as she sat up and gave Skinner a seductive smile.

"It's not what it looks like," Mulder stammered.

"You can join us, Skinner," Scully told her superior in a breathy voice.

"I don't know what's wrong with her," Mulder added, worried.

"I do," Skinner replied.

Scully climbed off the bed and made her way over to Skinner. She touched his face lightly as her other hand slowly made its way down his chest. Skinner grabbed both of her hands and removed them from himself. He looked to Mulder.

"We need to talk."

Skinner gave a nod to the open doorway. Mulder headed for the door as Skinner let go of Scully. Both men stepped outside, Mulder not giving a care that he was only in his boxers. Scully stood in the doorway.

"Don't you want to have some fun?" she pouted. "I thought you were _men_."

"Please, give us a minute, Agent Scully," Skinner said.

"You come in here and I'll give you a minute." Scully leaned against the door frame.

Skinner drew in a breath before pressing his lips together tightly. He looked over at Mulder, who nodded and placed his attention on Scully.

"Why don't you fill the tub?" Mulder suggested. "When it's ready, we'll all come in and... enjoy it together."

Scully flashed him a smile. "I like the way you think."

She stepped from the room and kissed him deeply before returning into the motel, closing the door behind her. Mulder looked to Skinner.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"It's not just Scully, I can tell you that," Skinner responded. "We've got three murders on our hands."

Mulder frowned. "Scully's not trying to kill anyone, she's trying to—"

"I know what she's trying to do," Skinner cut him off. "All the other women that came off the elevator are trying to do the same thing. Two of them succeeded. One woman slept with her husband and then shot him in the face. She hid in a closet and that's where the cops found her. The other woman got two men to join her and she shot them after, too. She was under the bed when they got to her."

"Both women had guns?" Mulder raised his eyebrows.

"The husband and wife owned one," Skinner explained. "The other woman bought one before finding the men she killed. That makes it premeditated."

"And the other women?" Mulder said.

"We've brought them all to the police station," Skinner answered. "Two of them had guns on them. One of them had a knife."

"They have sex and then they kill," Mulder concluded. "Do we know what's causing this? And why isn't it affecting the men?"

Skinner gave a small shrug. "Questions without answers, Mulder. We have to get Scully to the station."

The motel room door opened. Scully stood in the doorway, naked. Skinner quickly diverted his eyes. Mulder stared for a brief moment before looking away as well.

"Come on, boys." Scully leaned against the door frame again. "The water's warm."

"Give me your jacket," Mulder said to Skinner.

Skinner took off his jacket and handed it over. Mulder approached Scully, doing his best to avoid seeing the nude body of his partner. He wrapped the jacket around her like a towel, covering her.

Scully frowned at him. "Mulder..."

"We gotta take this somewhere else, Scully," he offered as an excuse for his behavior.

"I drew a bath," she told him. "Don't you want to clean me up? I'm so dirty, Mulder."

Mulder pressed his lips together in an attempt not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. He never thought those words would ever come out of Scully's mouth. Especially not in that breathy seductive tone. Especially not to him.

"Actually, Skinman and I have a better place in mind," Mulder replied brightly. "You'll have to get dressed so we can go."

She locked eyes with him. "Want to help me?"

He shook his head. "I'm better with the undressing."

Scully disappeared back inside the motel room. Mulder looked over to Skinner, who shrugged in response.

"What if there's no way to fix this?" Mulder asked.

Skinner didn't offer a response and diverted his eyes. Mulder entered the motel room and put on his clothes as fast as he could. Scully was dressing in the bathroom and he didn't want another encounter with her. As soon as he finished, he was back out the door.

"She should be almost done," Mulder told him.

A minute later, Scully emerged, fully clothed. She handed the jacket back to Skinner with a smile on her face. He took the jacket, but didn't put it back on.

"We'll take my car," he announced.

Mulder followed after Skinner as Scully crept up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and let her hands slide slowly downward. Mulder let out a short cry and quickly grabbed her hands. He let out an awkward laugh.

"Not yet."

Skinner got in on the driver's side and Mulder hurriedly climbed into the passenger side. Scully stood next to his open door, staring down at him.

"Aren't you going to let me on your lap?" She raised her eyebrows. "I can make it worth your while, Mulder."

"No, I think the back seat would be better for you," Mulder replied.

She smirked. "Only if you join me."

Mulder thought of an excuse to back out quickly. "And leave Skinner out? That's not fair and you know it, Scully. Just get in the back. We'll be there soon."

"Fine."

Scully stomped to the back of the car and climbed in. Once all doors was shut, Skinner began to drive toward the police station.

As they continued on their route, Scully leaned in between the driver and passenger seats. She bent towards Skinner and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Not while I'm driving, Scully," Skinner said.

Pouting, Scully retreated for a moment before turning her attention on Mulder. She scooted closer to him and licked his ear. Mulder looked back at her.

"You should save it." He gave a nod. "It's going to be a wild time."

"I can't wait." She breathed against his ear. "Come back here. For a quickie. Please." She pouted again. "Please."

Scully leaned toward his mouth and kissed him, bringing his bottom lip into her mouth. She pressed into him further and let her tongue slip into his mouth. Mulder placed a hand on her cheek and pushed her back gently.

"Come on, Mulder." Scully hit her fist against the back seat cushion. "Stop being a prude."

"Scully, if you just wait until we get to our destination, I will let you have your way with me," Mulder offered to try to make peace. "All right?"

"Fine."

Scully threw herself against the back seat as she folded her arms over her chest. She frowned, annoyed that no one was accepting her advances.

Skinner glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Scully, do you have your gun on you?"

"Of course," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "Why?"

"Just making sure," he told her before making eye contact with Mulder for a brief moment.

Biting her bottom lip, Scully scooted over to the window. She rolled it down and leaned toward it, feeling the wind hitting her face and whipping back her hair. She smiled as she saw two men walking toward a deli.

"Hey, sexy!" she called out to them. "Wanna good lay?"

Mulder turned in his seat to look back at Scully. She frowned as they passed by the men, Skinner not slowing down. She perked up as she saw another man walking his dog.

"Lookin' good!" she yelled to the man.

"Scully, roll up the window," Skinner commanded.

"Either you both get back here and fuck me or the window stays down," she said.

Skinner fell silent as Mulder turned back around, trying not to laugh. He knew this was going to be fun to tease Scully about later. That was, if they found a way to make this Scully go away.


	3. Chapter 3

Ten minutes and too many cat calls to count later, they arrived at the police station. Scully frowned as Skinner parked the car.

"Why are we here?" she demanded to know.

"You don't want a bunch of men in uniform around you, Scully?" Mulder asked, feigning confusion.

Scully popped open the car door and climbed out. "Of course I do."

Skinner and Mulder got out of the car and Skinner led them into the police station. Scully pushed past them as an officer made his way toward the door.

"Are you up for a wild time?" she said to him, cocking her eyebrow.

The police officer passed by them and headed out the door. Skinner leaned closer to Mulder.

"The room is in the back," he told him quietly.

Mulder stepped forward and took Scully by the arm. She looked over at him.

"This way, Scully," He instructed. "Everything's ready for us."

"Excellent," she replied, letting him lead her.

As quickly as he could without seeming suspicious, Mulder brought Scully to the back of the station. They entered into the room that looked in on an interrogation room. Walt was standing at the two way mirror, watching the room. He opened the door for Mulder.

Mulder shoved Scully inside the interrogation room, removing her gun from the holster in the process. Walt closed the door once Mulder was out of the way. He made sure it was locked.

Scully's eyebrows drew together as she recognized four of the other women in the room. They had been in the group that she escaped with. Realizing she had been duped, Scully turned and tried the door. It was locked. She pounded on the door.

"Mulder!" she yelled. "When I get out of here, Mulder, I'm not going to have sex with you!" She paused a moment to see if it received a reaction. "So there! Jerk!"

Mulder looked to Walt before turning to Skinner as he entered into the room.

"We've got to figure this out," he said. "Now."

* * *

Mulder entered into the fifth floor of the apartment building. The second door on the left had police tape going across it. Mulder continued down the hall and turned the corner to see the team still set up, playing with their monitors and different frequencies.

"Agent Mulder," Bridges greeted. He held up a melted mass of metal and plastic. "We thought you'd be interested in seeing what happened to the camera."

He stopped near them, the door on his right having police tape across it. Mulder eyed up the door before looking at the team.

"None of you were here when these murders happened," Mulder said.

"No," Bridges answered and pushed up his glasses. "Walt told us to get some rest, so we did."

"There are ten apartments on this floor," Mulder stated. "A person was taken from each apartment except for two of them. Which two?"

Traber reached for her notepad and flipped it open. "Five oh one and five oh seven."

Mulder turned and walked away from them, heading back toward the stairwell. He was on a mission. Apartment five zero one was located next to the one with police tape in front of it. He stopped at the door and knocked.

After a moment, the door opened revealing a young woman that Mulder decided couldn't be any older than twenty two. He brought out his ID.

"I'm Fox Mulder with the FBI," he told her. "I'd like to ask you some questions."

"What about?" she asked.

"The elevator," he answered.

"I told the police that I don't know anything about that," she replied.

"I need you to tell me."

The woman took a step back, allowing Mulder to enter. She closed the door behind him. Mulder looked around at her apartment. The furniture was new, but lacking. The woman moved past Mulder and sat down on the couch.

He gave a nod to her. "What's your name?"

"Irene."

"Okay, Irene." Mulder moved over to the armchair and sat down. "You haven't used the elevator. Why?"

She shook her head. "Why would I? Everyone says to take the stairs for exercise. I've always taken the stairs. Always."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a student," she said. "Part time. When I'm not at school, I work at the library."

"Uh-huh." Mulder gave a nod. This was a waste of his time. He stood. "Thanks. That's it."

Irene stood as well. "That's it?"

"Yep," Mulder replied. "Thank you for your time."

He let himself out her apartment. He had an urge to punch a wall, but he restrained himself as he headed back down the hallway. Mulder needed to solve this. He needed his partner back.

The crew looked to him as he turned around the corner. Mulder ignored them as he went to apartment five zero seven. He pounded on the door. After waiting several moments without getting a response, Mulder pounded on the door again.

After another minute passed, the door opened only as much as the chain across it would allow. A short man with brown hair and beady brown eyes peered out at Mulder.

"Yes?" the man asked.

Mulder flashed his ID. "Fox Mulder with the FBI. I'd like to talk to you."

The man nodded and closed the door. He slid the lock over and let the chain fall before opening the door. Mulder stepped inside and the man made sure the door was closed and locked behind him.

"I knew you'd be coming," the man said. "Your lady partner. She's not herself."

Mulder stared him down. "How do you know?"

His focus shifted to the painting on the wall behind the man. It was a copy of "Persistence of Memory." Mulder put his attention back on the man and moved toward him, grabbing the front of his shirt with his fists.

The man let out a cry of surprise as Mulder pushed him back into the wall, almost hitting the painting.

"What did you do?" Mulder demanded. "Huh?"

"You didn't see the 'Guernica,'" the man replied. "That's in the bedroom."

Just as Mulder prepared to hit this man for toying with him and this whole investigation, the door broke open and Skinner stepped in.

"Mulder, let him go," Skinner said.

"He did this," Mulder told Skinner. "He did this to her."

"We'll take him to the station," Skinner replied and pulled Mulder off of the man.

* * *

"My name if Francis Davis. But, everyone calls me Frank."

The man with the beady eyes picked up his cup of water and took a sip, his handcuffed hands making it slightly difficult. Mulder was standing on the other side of the table, staring down at the man who was sitting calmly in the chair.

"Ever since I was a boy, I knew I was different. Special."

"Special how?" Mulder asked.

"I could do things no one else could do," Frank told him and set his cup down. "I could bend metal, heat metal, roll it into a ball with my hands. I was smart."

"Would you like to explain how this ability relates to that elevator and my partner?" Mulder folded his arms over his chest.

"It's not just your partner," Frank replied. "It's all the women. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Mulder approached the table. "What did you mean to happen?"

"I'm... I was never..." Frank let out a sigh and began to toy with the handcuffs. "I wasn't the popular kid. I wasn't anything. There's this... a woman on my floor. Leslie. I... I just wanted her to like me. To want me."

"And this was how you thought you'd do it?" Mulder demanded.

"It was never suppose to go this way!" Frank exclaimed. "I practiced for months, working on this plan to get Leslie to like me. You don't know what it's like to be me. I can't get the girl. I never could. It was my experiment. I created that world."

"A world where the woman who entered it would come out wanting you," Mulder concluded.

"I waited all day for Leslie to return and when she did, I put all my focus on that world," Frank said. "But, something went wrong. My mind was faulty. It was suppose to be peaceful and she was to come off that elevator after going through Dalí's work and she would have loved me."

Mulder shook his head. "But, she didn't get off."

"No," Frank's voice dropped to a whisper. He cleared his throat. "She was gone. And then others started going. They would enter just as she did as if it was stuck on repeat. I didn't know how to fix it, I didn't know how to get them back."

"They enter in Dalí's work." Mulder leaned forward in his chair. "Your inspiration. But, the world changed to Picasso's Guernica."

"I know." Frank nodded. "I heard White say that. It makes sense. It haunts me. But, it shouldn't have been there. I wasn't as disciplined as I thought I was. Leslie was suppose to enter, see Dalí's work and then feel the wanting of a man. That man being me."

"But, Guernica messed that up for you," Mulder replied and noticed that Frank's handcuffs weren't around his wrists anymore. He was molding them in his hands.

"And it messed up those women." Frank looked down at the table, his hands still working the metal. "The impulse to kill."

"Do you have that impulse, Frank?" Mulder asked.

Frank didn't respond. Mulder leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"So, how do we fix this?"

"The impulse these women have is like a drug," Frank spoke, eyes still downcast. "It was based off drugs. A combination, a cocktail that I created. Like all drugs, the effects should fade. The women who killed those men already have the drugs from their systems. You know that. They're fine now."

"They are _not_ fine," Mulder replied. "They feel tremendous guilt, loss, and shame for what they have done. All because of you."

"Like I said, this was never suppose to happen." Frank lifted his gaze to meet Mulder's as he set the metal ball that used to be the handcuffs on the table. "I thought I had this figured out. I thought it would make my life better. But, Guernica ruined that for me."

"You ruined it for yourself by even trying to play this game."

Mulder stood from the table and stalked out of the interrogation room, slamming the door closed behind him.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Mulder asked as he approached Skinner, who was standing at the two way mirror, looking in on the women in the room.

"Still the same," Skinner answered. "Brooding like nothing I've ever seen."

"Frank said we have to wait it out," Mulder told him. "Maybe we could flush her system or something to help it along."

Skinner shook his head. "Nah, it's wearing off. Two of the women are back to themselves."

Mulder looked through the mirror and realized that there was, in fact, two less women in the room. His eyes settled on Scully. She was sitting on a metal chair in the corner of the room. Her legs were crossed and her arms were folded over her chest.

"Three more to go," Mulder commented and let out a sigh.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Scully was the only one left in the interrogation room. She was seated at the table, arms folded on the tabletop, forehead resting on her arms. The effects of her trip had worn off no more than twenty minutes ago. She was the last of them.

After Mulder had given her brief details on what happened, she ordered him out of the room, wanting some time to think and clear her head.

Ten minutes later, Mulder returned. He approached the table slowly, waiting to see if she was going to object to his presence.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Embarrassed," she answered, keeping her head down.

"Aw, come on, Scully," Mulder told her. "It was the drugs talking, not you."

Scully let out a small groan as she lifted her head. She refused to bring her gaze to his.

"I stood, _naked_, in front of you and Skinner," she said.

"Yeah, but we didn't look," he replied and then added. "Very long." He sat down across from her at the table. "We caught the guy who did this. Frank Davis. He's being charged with the murders."

"That's great, Mulder," Scully responded, uninterested.

"Would you look at me?" Mulder raised his eyebrows. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

That got Scully's eyes on him. "What?"

"Remember when that bee stung you and they took you away and I came to save you and had to break you out of that vile thing they kept you in?" Mulder reminded her. "Remember, Scully? In Antarctica? You were pretty naked then, too."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," she bitterly told him. "I came on to you."

"Under the influence of drugs," he added. "You didn't know what you were doing."

Scully sighed and lowered her eyes back down to the table.

"Come on." He gave a tug on her sleeve. "Let's go home. I've got plane tickets for a flight out of here tonight."

Mulder stood from his chair and waited. Scully stood as well and followed him out of the room.

"Agent Scully," Skinner spoke up as he approached.

Scully lowered her eyes to the floor. "Sir."

"Listen, with what happened... we can just forget it," he said. "You're not responsible for any of your actions. It's forgotten."

"Right," Scully agreed, her eyes still lowered. "Thank you, Sir."

Mulder and Skinner exchanged worried glances before Mulder led the way toward the police station door. Scully followed after him. She drew in a deep breath as they stepped outside. Mulder led her over to his car.

Scully climbed in on the passenger side as Mulder got in on the driver's side. He placed the keys in the ignition.

"I don't know how I'm going to recover from this," Scully spoke up. "I'm so ashamed."

Mulder stopped his actions and looked over at her. "I don't know what you're so ashamed about, Scully."

Her mouth fell open slightly, eyebrows drawn. "He saw me naked, Mulder. I acted like a fool."

"Acting like a fool wasn't your fault," Mulder replied. "As for being naked, well, it wasn't offensive."

Scully frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean—" Mulder paused a moment. "That you're not..."

"Not what, Mulder?" she prompted, wanting to know what he was getting at.

"Not unattractive," he said.

She stared at him, a frown still on her face. Mulder gave a shrug as he started the car.

"You don't have to be ashamed or embarrassed," he mumbled. "You're, like, toned." He looked over at her. "You looked good. All right?"

Seeing Mulder trying to comfort her on the awkward subject of her nude body was almost endearing. She gave him a tight smile and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Mulder," she told him sincerely.

Mulder smirked as he pulled out of the parking spot. "One hell of a kisser."

"Thanks, Mulder," her tone flattened slightly, knowing he was going to run with this.

"A heck of a tease," he added.

"Okay." She shot him a glare.

"And those cat calls?" Mulder raised his eyebrows as he glanced over at him. "Woo! Those were hot."

Scully bit her bottom lip, trying not to crack a smile at his attempt to get her to do so.

"Enough, Mulder," she said.

"I'm just complimenting your technique," Mulder replied innocently. "I was impressed."

"Yeah." Scully nodded. "All right."

"The way you took control was—"

"Mulder?" Scully cut him off and looked at him.

Mulder pulled out onto the main road. He smiled slightly as he glanced to Scully.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up or I'll shoot you with my gun," she warned, with no fierceness or anger behind her threat.

Mulder pressed his lips together, frowning slightly. He glanced over at her again.

"No sex first?" he asked.

"No." She shook her head slightly, making eye contact.

Mulder nodded as he put his attention back on the road. "Mouth shut."

He fell silent. Scully smiled lightly to herself and looked out her window. She could see the stars dotting the night sky and she was just thankful to be back in this world, with things back to normal. She suddenly thought of her attempts to sleep with both Mulder and Skinner.

"_Well_—" Her eyebrows flicked up. "_Almost normal_."

Scully's eyes drank in the sky again. It was one starry night.


End file.
